It's not exactly breaking news that the artist formerly
known as Justin Gabriel has been released by WWE. Apparently frustrated with
his lack of direction and the nonchalant way his TV appearances were being
handled Gabriel left the January 19 RAW and informed the company he wanted to
be released from his contract. His status as a free agent was confirmed on
January 25 when WWE announced he'd been released.
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| Pointing to the sky shows you mean business. |
It's hardly surprising the man born Paul Lloyd Jr wanted
out of WWE. He rarely got to appear on the promotion's more important
broadcasts. When he did it was usually in a short match which he lost. His
appearances on NXT were more promising. He didn't win much but he did get to
wrestle lengthier matches in a less restrictive environment. A regular slot on that
show would have been a good fit for him, allowing him creative freedom while
providing the show with a reliable performer who could guarantee a good outing
while putting over the hot prospects. Unfortunately for him Tyson Kidd got the
main roster veteran in residence spot. NXT only needs one.
It's hard to imagine many people being happy to work hard
to get to WWE's main roster only to be content with an enhancement role. His
request was and is understandable. The last time he verged on relevance was
when he was a tag team champion with Heath Slater in 2011. That Slater has to
be mentioned there should tell you all you need to know about how well Gabriel
was truly doing.
I think WWE could have done more with 'The Werewolf of
Cape Town'. From what we were shown he could have turned in some belters
opposite the likes of Cesaro, Daniel Bryan and Dolph Ziggler. His on-off team
with Tyson Kidd had potential too, but the writers never seemed overly
interested in it. An injury to Kidd didn't help matters either, to be fair. Given
time to develop, and used as part of a proper, actual tag team division Gabriel
and Kidd could have been great. Matches with the Usos, the Wyatt Family, and
even The Shield could have been excellent.
Gabriel wasn't necessarily a natural headliner or even an
upper mid-carder, but he was capable of more than we saw. Which is what I think
we'll see from him in his matches for the WWN over WrestleMania weekend. Gabe
Sapolsky was quick to sign him for the group's shows, which speaks of the faith
an experienced booker and promoter has in him. As does Black's announced
matches against EVOLVE champion Drew Galloway and former Open the Freedom Gate
champion Ricochet. They're not just some of the best wrestlers Sapolsky has
available to him, they're some of the top names of the WWN. Black wouldn't be
wrestling them on such major shows if there was any doubt in his ability.
If only he'd only a better nickname than 'Darewolf' I
could get really into his new found
freedom.
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